Motor-starting device.



w. H. SHIMPIFQ MOTOR STARTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.15. 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1- THE NORRIS PETERS CO.. PHOTO'LITHOH WASHINGTON, D C,

Patented June 29, 1915.

W. H. SHIMPF.

MOTOR STARTING DEVlCE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 15, 19M.

1,144,437. Patented June 29,1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Fig. 2

WITNESSES mmvrol? W Wblter H. Sbbnffl THE NORRIS PETERS CO.. PHOTGL-ITHOH WASHINGYUN, D. C

W. H. SHIMPF. MOTOR STARTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 15; 1914.

Patented June 29, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- Fig. 3

WITNESSES pact form of device.

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WALTER I-I. SHIIVIIPF, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO SI-IIMPF STARTER COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

MOTOR-STARTING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 29, 1915.

Application filed April 15, 1914. Serial N 0. 831,926.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, WALTER H. SHIMPF, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Boston, in the county of Sufl'olk and State of Nfassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Motor-Starting Devices, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, whereby any one skilled in the art may make and use the same.

The invention, as indicated by the title, relates to a device to be used as a starter for motors and the like. It is in effect a prime mover when it operates to act as a starter and is a compressor for storing energy in the form of compressed air when it is driven by the motor or engine in conjunction with which it is used. Obviously, the device is not limited to engine starting purposes, but the mechanism illustrated and described is particularly designed for such purposes.

In a co-pending application entitled Starting motor and compressor, Serial No. 729,450, filed Nov. 4,1912, there is illustrated and described a device of a similar character in which the control of the valves for changing the device from a prime mover to a compressor is secured to a shifting cam shaft which is common to all of said valves and in order to secure the proper cooperation between the driving mechanism forthe crank shaft and main shaft with reference to the shifting of the cam shaft, independent clutches are employed. This necessitates a separate manipulation for the clutches and for the shifting of the cam shaft with the attendant complications.

In the present invention, the mechanism is much simplified and while all the advantages of a shifting cam shaft are retained, a single operating and controlling mechanism serves to control the cam shaft and the clutch mechanism so that there isa simultaneous cooperative action between all the working parts of the machine. This insures positive and proper operation in function of all the parts in extremely simple and com- The objects of the present invention are to provide ashifting cam shaft control for the valves to transform the device from a motor to a compressor or vice versa and a control of the driving mechanism correcompressor.

sponding to the control of the valves through a single controlling mechanism.

Further objects of the invention reside in the details and arrangements as hereinafter more specifically described.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through the device. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view with parts broken away to better illustrate the construction. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view through the transmitting mechanism.

As hereinafter described, the main crank shaft and driving shaft of the device always rotate in the same direction whether the device is acting as a prime mover or as a compressor and there is a difierence in speed ratio betweenthe crank shaft and main driving shaft secured through intermediate gearing and clutches which gives a uniform speed of rotation between said shafts when the device operates as a motor and an increased speed ratio upon the crankshaft when the device is being driven from the main shaft as a Furthermore, the mechanism provides for idle running of the motor parts when the device acts neither as a motor nor compressor.

Referring to the drawings 200 denotes a crank case having an upper section 201 in which the several cylinders 202 are arranged in V form. These cylinders are conveniently held in position by a longitudinal locking bar 203 bolted to the main casing. The removal of this bar permits the removal of the the cylinders, valves and appurtenant parts.

Each cylinder is provided with an inlet and exhaust valve best illustrated in F ig. 2, where the section through one cylinder illustrates the inlet valve 204: and the opposed cylinder shows its exhaust valve 205.

The inlet valve 204 is of the puppet type and is actuated by the valve rod 206 which valve rod serves as a closure for controlling the passage 207 leading into the crank case. The rod 206 is connected with a springpressed plug 208 which is in position to be engaged by a cam 209 upon the cam shaft 210.

The exhaust valve 205 has a rod 211 connected with a spring-pressed plunger 212 which is also actuated by a cam upon the cam shaft 210. The cams in either instance are of the eccentric type and there is a cam for each valve rod. The rod 211 of the exhaust valve 205 is grooved as at 213 or is made of lesser diameter than the passage 214-and this provides an initial or auxiliary exhaust by which the pressures in the cylinders may be relieved when the device is operating as a motor. hen operating as a compressor the valve 205 remains closed and thereupon the inlet valve 20% operates automatically. Each cylinder hasa main exhaust 215 which is effective when the device operates as a motor and serves as an inlet when the device operates as a compressor. These exhaust ports 215' are controlled by the various pistons and open into the crank case.

The inlet valves are all connected with manifold ducts 216 so that as each of the cylinders compresses, it will force the compressed fluid through said manifold and when the device operates as a motor, the compressed air will flow from said manifold into the cylinders as the inlet valves are mechanically opened by the valve rods 206.

The several pistons are suitably connected with a. crank shaft 217 which is mounted in suitable bearings in the crank case and has a central disk 218 provided with a bearing in the crank case which insures maintaining the crank shaft in alinement under the heaviest sort of duty. At one end of the crank shaft, there is a pinion 219 which, through a gear 220 drives a pinion 221.

The pinion 221 is secured to a quill222 provided" with grooves 223 which are engaged by keys 22d upon a clutch disk 225. The quill 222 is also secured to and rotates with the hollow shifting cam shaft 226.

A rod 227 extends through the hollow cam shaft and is secured to the hub of the clutch disk 225, a spring 228 normally'tending to separate the clutch disk 225 and quill 222.

The outer end of the rod 227 terminates'in a thrust plate 229 having an anti-friction bearing 230 in a beveled stationary head plate 231. Opposed to the plate 231- is' a similar beveled plate 232which bears against the end of the cam shaft 226 and between the two plates 231 and 232' is a rotatable wedging disk 233 which is actuated in any suitable manner through a lever 234:. This lever may obviously be manually operated or it may be connected with any suitably automatic device such, for instance, as an air piston.

From the above, it will be apparent that thepinion 219 will always drive the cam shaft 226 when the deviceis operating as a motor. The main driving gear 235 is mounted upon a sleeve 236 which rotates with reference to the quill 222 and is provided with a clutch face 237. This clutch face is encircled by a gear 238' mounted to move relatively to the clutch face 237 and meshes with a pinion 239 which issecur ed to the gear 220. Intermediate the clutch face 237 and the interior of the gear 238 are arranged roller clutch members 240.

lVhen the device is operating as a motor, the clutch 225 is out of engagement with the clutch face 225* and the eccentrics of the cam shaft are in position to actuate all of the valve rods. The pinion 219 now driving through the gear 220, pinion 239 and gear 238 causes said gear to clutch the sleeve 236 and rotate the main gear 235. l/Vhen the lever 23% is shifted, the cani shaft is moved and its eccentrics thrown out from under the valve rods and simultaneously,the clutch 225 is engaged with the clutch surface. 225*; Thereupon, the rotation of the gear 235 will release the gear 238 from the clutch surface 237 of the sleeve 236 and the quill 222'will be directly rotated, transmitting motion through the pinion 221 and gear 220 to the pinion 219- of" the crank shaft.

The angularity of the plates 231 and 232 is so designed with reference to the interiedi ate member233 that a partial rotation of the member 233 will release the clutch 225 without bringing the eccentrics under the valve rods and with the parts in this adjustment, no motion will be transmitted by the gear 235 to the crank shaft, said gear 235 running idle.

From the above, it is apparent that'the en tire control for throwing-the device in operation as a motor, as a compressor or'permitting it to run idle, is secured by the manipulation by the actuator for the cam shaft, simultaneously controls the main clutch. This is made possible by the arrangement of gears and automatic clutch.

The exact arrangement of cylinders, pistons and appurtenantparts is, of course, not material and thenumber and disposition of the cylinders may be modified so long as all ofthe valves are actuated from a single cam shaft which is arranged to be shifted axially and is controlled simultaneously from the same actuating mechanism with a main clutch.

What I claim as myinven'tion and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a motor starting device, a plurality of cylinders, a piston and connecting rod for each cylinder common to a single crank shaft, an inletfand exhaust valve for each cylinder, a shiftable cam shaft gear-connected with saidcrank shaft and" adapted to mechanically actuate all of the valves of the several cylinders and permit automaticoperation of the inlet valves, a main driving gear adapted to be driven by the crank shaft and adapted to drive said crank shaft, a clutch for said gear and a single actuating device for operating said cl utch'and shifting the cam shaft.

2. A motor starting device having a plurality of cylinders, pistons and a single crank shaft common to all of said pistons, a shiftable cam shaft, inlet and exhaust valves for each of said cylinders adapted to be actuated by said shaft when the device operates as a motor and inoperative with reference to all of said valves when the device operates as a compressor, a main driving gear, a main clutch for said gear, driving connections intermediate the crank shaft and said gear controlled by said clutch and an actuating device common to the shifting cam shaft and clutch whereby said shaft and clutch are controlled to vary the operation of the valves and the driving mechanism intermediate the crank shaft and driving gear dependent upon whether the device operates as a motor or as a compressor.

3. In a motor starting device, a cylinder, piston and crank shaft, an inlet and exhaust valve for the cylinder, both mechanically operated when the device operates as a motor, a hollow shifting cam shaft actuating said valves as a motor, a main driving gear having driving connections with the crank shaft, an actuating rod for said gear passing through the crank shaft and a controlling device for shifting the cam shaft and the clutch.

4:. In a device of the character described, a

I plurality of cylinders, each having a piston,

a main crank shaft common to all of said pistons, connections intermediate the shaft and pistons, an inlet and exhaust valve for each of said cylinders, a shiftable cam shaft for actuating all of said valves when the device operates as a motor and permitting automatic action of the inlet valves when the device operates as a compressor, a clutch member having an auxiliary movement though keyed to said shifting cam shaft, an actuating rod for said clutch extending through said cam shaft and a controlling device common to the cam shaft and clutch rod for shifting said shaft and controlling said clutch.

5. In a device of the character described, a shifting cam shaft, inlet and exhaust valves controlled by said cam shaft, a main crank shaft gear-connected with the cam shaft, a main driving gear bearing a clutch drum, a gear and roller clutches surrounding said drum, said gear driven by the gears intermediate the cam shaft and crank shaft, a clutch member rotating with the cam shaft, and axially movable with reference thereto, said clutch adapted to engage the main driving gear and a single controlling device common to the shiftable cam shaft and connected with the clutch member for varying the control of the valve and the driving gear connections.

WALTER H. SHIMPF.

Witnesses:

HELEN V. MQCARTHY, GERTRUDE H. TAFT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0." 

